Chapter 56: Victory Aftermath

DRAVEN’S POV

The mission was successful. My first mission with the Mafia Wolves was a success. We drove fast enough to bypass the police and made it home safely.

The cheers didn’t stop until we pushed through the door of the bar. The only reason I was smiling was because I was alive ... not killed.

"Come on, nobody tries the Mafia Wolves!" Rex yelled.

Jade was clapping while making eye contact with me. I was glad to have impressed her, even though it was pure luck that I’d survived. She didn’t need to know that part.

We started counting the money we’d stolen. We hadn’t even gone halfway through the pile when the news broke everywhere. The Mafia Wolves had struck again. They’d robbed a bank after killing the security guard right out front.

"It’s not the first time we’ve done this. Let them all shut up," Mia said, unbothered.

When we finished counting, the total came to one million, one hundred thousand dollars.

"This is real money ... whoo!" Rafael screamed.

Rex began dividing the cut. He took three hundred thousand and split the rest between us. We each walked away with a hundred thousand dollars.

"So our lives are worth a hundred thousand dollars. Yeah, cool," Dante said sarcastically.

Rex only glanced at him and kept doing what he was doing.

He walked up to Jade’s counter and tossed her a clean twenty thousand.

"Here ... for all your stress and hard work."

"Thank you," she said simply.

"Listen, guys." Rex turned to face us all. "Today is proof ... another proof ... of what happens when we work together as a team. Anything is possible. Anything is achievable."

"Thank you for being such a good leader, Rex. You motivate us in all the right ways," Camila said. A smile broke across his face, and we all clapped.

"We’ve been at this a long time. We’ve been hunted, pressured, and pushed to the point where even government people fear our name. We deserve a drink," he said.

"We deserve a whole party," Mira called out.

"Exactly. It begins tonight ... eight-thirty. Planning team, get ready. Let’s rock and roll." He pointed directly at Jade.

We dismissed.

I was heading to my room to rest when Viktor fell into step beside me. "Hey, Draven," he said, dropping his voice low. "I’ve seen the way you look at her."

"Who?" I asked, playing dumb ... though I already knew.

"Jade. Obviously. I’m just giving you a heads-up ... she’s a good wolf. She won’t settle for someone like you. She belongs to Rex. Our leader."

"Okay. Thanks for the heads-up." I kept moving.

This Viktor had to be out of his mind. People who couldn’t mind their own business pissed me off every damn time.

I entered my room and crashed onto the bed. I dozed off almost immediately. When I opened my eyes and checked the time, an hour and thirty minutes had already slipped by.

Jade hadn’t come to find me, so I went looking for her. I didn’t know her room ... I just followed instinct, locked onto her scent, and found it.

I knocked.

"Who’s there?" Her voice came through the door, soft and clear, and I swear it echoed somewhere in my chest in a way I couldn’t quite explain. If it were possible, I’d have set it as my morning alarm.

"It’s me. Draven," I said.

"Oh ... Draven." She rushed to the door and pulled it open.

"How are you, Jade?"

"No ... how are you? You went on a mission. I should be the one asking."

"As you can see ..." I smiled, that embarrassing kind of smile I couldn’t quite control around her. "I’m alive, just like you said I’d be."

"I knew you’d make it. I’m planning tonight’s party right now. Make sure you actually enjoy yourself, okay?"

"I’ve never really been to these kinds of parties. I’m not exactly the party type," I admitted.

"That’s not a problem. I’ll teach you," she said.

We both smiled at the same time.

"I didn’t come to disturb you ... I wanted you to rest. But how did you even find my room?"

"I tracked your scent," I said.

She laughed. She knew I was teasing her.

"I want to ask you something," she said, her tone shifting a little more serious. "I don’t really know you yet ... so how did all of this happen? How did you end up in Valdris?"

There it was. The question I’d been working hard to dodge since the moment I arrived.

"How did I come here?" I repeated slowly. "It’s a long story, but I’ll keep it short. I was exiled. From where I came from."

"Oh." Her expression softened immediately. "I’m so sorry ... I wouldn’t have even asked if I’d known. That must’ve been devastating. Did you leave behind a wife? Children?"

"No. Almost got married once. But circumstances got in the way," I said.

She stepped forward and hugged me. Just like that. No warning.

"Valdris is your home now," she said quietly. "Learn how to move with Rex and you’ll be just fine here ... I’d bet on it."

We talked for a while after that, jumping from one topic to the next, laughing until our eyes watered. Eventually, she had to pull herself away to go set up the drinks for the party.

We were supposed to be on the ground early. The only problem was that I had nothing remotely party-worthy to wear.

A knock came at my door. "Jade, come in..."

It wasn’t Jade. It was Camila.

"What’s taking you so long? We should already be ready," she said.

"I don’t have anything to wear to a party," I told her.

"Is that what you were waiting on Jade for?" She stepped out briefly and came back with a red leather jacket and a pair of black pants. "Throw these over whatever polo you have."

"Thanks," I said.

She tossed a pair of red shoes after them too.

"I want to see you dance tonight," she said, smirking as she left.

That was elite-level sarcasm right there. The last time I danced was when I was seven years old ... and that was to win snacks.

On the party floor, everyone looked sharp. Everyone looked good.

"Thank you all for coming tonight. We’re here to celebrate a job well done," Rex announced. A glass of wine was placed in each of our hands almost instantly.

"Cheers ... to victory, and to many more to come."

We all raised our glasses. Across the room, I caught Jade’s eye. We clinked from afar.

Heavy rock music kicked in.

These people liked it loud and hard.

Five of our crew hit the dance floor almost immediately. Rex worked his way toward a cluster of women. I made my way to Jade at the counter ... my glass was already empty and I wanted a refill.

She poured. "Take only what you can handle," she said, quiet enough for just me.

Then she lifted her own bottle and took a long pull. The wine was strong. I could feel it almost immediately ... warm and sharp, spreading through me faster than I expected.

"You guys drink some serious stuff," I said, my eyes already going slightly unfocused.

"Yes, Draven." She leaned forward just a little. "You have to get stronger as a Mafia Wolf. This is what we drink around here."

My vision started going blurry at the edges. I slipped to the back and made it into my room. Pulled off my jacket and lay down. There was water on the side table ... I reached for it, but my arm felt like it weighed a hundred pounds.

Then the door opened.

I knew it was her from the colour of her hair.

Jade crossed the room toward me, and before I could say a word, her hand slid down and she rubbed against me ... slow, deliberate, like she knew exactly what she was doing.

Because she did.

I looked at her. She held my gaze and didn’t flinch.

She’d already lit something in me, and with the way I felt about her, I wasn’t about to pump the brakes. I pulled her in and kissed her like we were fighting for it ... mouths crashing together, neither of us willing to lose.

She was drunk too. Which only made it better.

The foreplay was something else entirely. Every press of lips, every exchange between us, pushed me closer to the edge. I was ready ... and the only question burning in the back of my drunken mind was whether she’d let it go all the way, right here, in this room.